The most common type of involves examining cells from bodily intervention cytology is fine- tissues or fluids under a microscope needle aspiration (FNA). A to determine a diagnosis. healthcare provider will inject a lso known as cytopathology involves thin needle into the area that examining cells from bodily tissues or they need to sample and draw fluids to determine a diagnosis. A out fluid. A pathologist then certain kind of physician, called a examines the cells in the fluid pathologist, will look at the cells in the under a microscope. tissue sample under a microscope and WHEN IS CYTOLOGY USED? look for characteristics or abnormalities in the cells Healthcare providers and pathologists most commonly use There are two main kinds, or cytology to diagnose or screen for branches, of cytology cancer. 1. Exfoliative cytology is a branch A healthcare provider only uses a of cytology in which the cells that diagnostic test for a person if they a pathologist examines are either have signs or symptoms that “shed” by your body naturally or suggest they might have a certain are manually scraped or brushed disease or infection. (exfoliated) from the surface of A diagnostic test, such as a your tissue. cytology test, determines if abnormal cells are present. If so, Examples of exfoliative cytology the test accurately classifies the that involve manual tissue disease. A healthcare provider uses brushing or scraping include: screening tests to see if a person Gynecological samples could have a certain disease, such Gastrointestinal Sample as cancer, even before they Skin or mucus sample experience symptoms. A popular Respiratory samples type of cytology screening test is a Urinary samples Pap smear. Other uses for cytology tests include: To diagnose infectious diseases. 2. intervention cytology is a To diagnose inflammatory branch of cytology in which your conditions. healthcare provider has to To examine thyroid lesions “intervene” with your body to get How does cytology test work? a sample of cells to test, meaning Collecting the sample cells Examining the sample cells Processing the sample cells Sharing the result WHEN WILL I KNOW THE RESULTS OF MY CYTOLOGY TEST? The time it takes to get the results of your cytology test depends on certain factors like what kind of tissue cells were examined. Some routine cytology screenings could take as little as 1 to 2 days to get your results while other tests could take 1 to 2 weeks. Factors that affect how long it takes to get cytology test results include: The need to look at more tissue or cells. Special stains or tests. The need for a second opinion. Processing time.